


Tutoring a Herdman

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Category: The Best/Worst Ever Series - Barbara Robinson
Genre: Dyslexia, Dyslexic Ralph Herdman, Friendship, Humor, Illegitimacy, Learning Disabilities, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Slow Burn, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2008-10-23
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25250863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: What happens when the new sixth grade teacher decides to hold Ralph, the oldest Herdman back? With the Herdmans, the answer is only chaos.
Relationships: Beth Bradley/Ralph Herdman
Collections: Focus on Female Characters, MinorFandomFest





	1. Prolog

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer – I do not own the worst of the Herdman, nor do I own the best of the Herdman. It's a joke! Read the books The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Best School Year Ever and The Best Halloween Ever.

_Where did this whole thing start? I had to think very hard about this because, unlike all the other events with the Herdman, one can actually place where things started. But this time, it was harder to try to figure out where everything actually started. I mean, it is very simple to say that Ralph, Imogene, Ollie, Leroy, Claude and Gladys were trouble walking on two feet. But defiantly, it had to have started somewhere._

_I guess that the place it started was when the sixth grade teacher up and moved the year I started fifth grade with their entire family. One might think that there is no big deal for someone who is in the fifth grade, but I tell you it was a big deal, considering that the new teacher just moved to town and didn't know about the Herdman. So, she wasn't expecting the oldest Herdman in her class._

_Of course, I don't blame the first teacher for running away when they did. That was the one class that had been Herdman free in the entire history of our school. The thought of the Herdman was enough to drive anyone insane and want to get out of there before the whole thing went all wrong, as it always would. However to push this on to someone else was wrong._

_So, before she had started class, Mrs. Tadlem had heard about how bad the Herdman were. She had also heard that they were passed because no one wanted to deal with them. She also heard how the Kindergarten teacher had gone out and gotten drunk because she was going to have no Herdman in her class that year. One had to say she deserved it, after having had six years of Herdman._

_The first thing the Herdman did when the Tadlems moved to our town was greet them the only way the Herdman could… they stole their mailbox… and so the mailman said he had to go and deliver their mail by hand. Mr. Tadlem had asked what had happened to their mailbox and the mailman had to tell them it was the Herdman. Which it was, because who else would steal anything in the town?_

_Also, Ms. Tadlem had been left a special gift in her desk drawer. Apparently the Herdman had thought it was a good idea to leave a snake in her drawer, so one the first day they had expected her to open it and freak out so that Ralph could go and say that it was just a little grader snake. Instead she had done the unexpected; she picked it up and showed the class the snake. The girls were screaming their heads off. "Whose idea was it to put our friend here in the drawer?"_

_As I heard, all kids turned their heads towards Ralph, who just shrugged his shoulders, not admitting he had or hadn't done anything. However, the teacher knew and gave him a detention. She actually gave Ralph a lot of detention, but he never showed up for it. Yet she kept giving him the pink slips… of course, the first two were warnings, as with all of us… but still, no one gave a Herdman detention because they knew that they would never show up._

_A lot of things happened this past school year, that was for sure. But everyone who knew the Herdman expected it. Everyone was also excited, because once Ralph graduated elementary school; there would be one less Herdman next year, as he would be going to the junior-high. But really, none of us could expect that something would have worked out differently. I guess the thing that should have really told me that something was amiss was right after school ended on the last day that I heard Ralph arguing with Mrs. Tadlem and walked on by, not thinking anything about it._

**M**

On the last day of school, every single sixth grader was looking forward to the packet that they would be given explaining what options they had at the junior high, though there were only a few in comparison to high school. The old teacher would just hand out the packets to those in the sixth grade class right before the bell ring, but this year was different. This year the new teacher had a stack of papers on her desk and told them not to leave when the bell rang, but instead wait until she called their names.

When the bell rang, she called the students one by one and they left through the door, hurrying to go and show their parents their packets and discuss their options for classes the next year. Mrs. Tadlem called them one at a time and finally they were all gone, except on Ralph Herdman. There were also no packets on the desk left, which made him fidget in his desk.

"Ralph, we need to talk," was the only thing she said.

"About what! It's rather obvious that you're not going to let me go onto seventh grade!" Ralph commented, glaring at her.

"It's not that I don't want to. I would love for you to have gone on with the rest of your class," she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah right!" Ralph suddenly yelled. "I know I'm dumb, but I'm not that dumb!"

"Now, explain to me what that's supposed to mean," the teacher said. She watched as Ralph stormed up to her desk and got almost into her face.

"The real reason is you're mad about all the things done this year! I mean _everyone_ gets mad at us!"

"There is no need to yell. Ralph… junior high isn't like elementary school. It's a lot harder, and you won't have the rest of your family there to support you..." Mrs. Tadlem suddenly let out a small cough. "… like they do."

"They always pass us, no matter how bad out grades are!" Ralph snapped at her.

"And because of that they've done you yet another injustice! You read on a first or second grade level. You can't do basic math. You have problems turning in homework… in fact; you've turned in the homework roughly between zero to five percent of the time and have flunked all my tests! You truancy is horrible…"

"I want to go onto the seventh grade!" Ralph said, still yelling.

"Ralph… _not_ this school year! Maybe the one after that one, but not this one! If I were to let you, you would be left even further behind. Oh, and your not dumb… no one has given you the chance is all,"

"I want…"

"As I said, not this year. If you want to go next year, I need you to show major improvements! No more not turning in assignments, no more truancy. And…" she paused for a few seconds. "I am wanting you to get tutoring with your reading from another student."

"No! No! No!" Ralph said, anger in his voice. "There isn't anyone who would ever do something like that for us… not unless you offered that stupid special credit, which you don't ever do, and then they won't ever still do it."

With that he stormed out of the room, bumping into Beth Bradley as he stormed out of the room. She was on her way out, leaving the school. She didn't seemed that surprised and continued on her way, not having heard any of the conversation.


	2. Alice Blabs

_As with all things dealing with the Herdmans, there is always more then one thing that leads to everything that goes on with them and the trouble that is caused. It wasn't just the new teacher deciding to hold one of the Herdmans back, which was completely unheard of, a teacher actually being brave enough, or dumb enough to have more then one Herdman in their class._

_Another part of the problem had to do with Alice Wendelkin. This might seem a bit odd to some people, as Alice is the exact opposite of the Herdmans. While they try to get into trouble, her goal in life is to stay out of trouble and do the best at everything. However, it was this being good at everything and being perfect that helped to lead to the things that happened._

_One of the first things was everyone knew that Alice loves her extra credit. She wanted to get the best grades in the class. She didn't just want A pluses, but A plus, plus, pluses. She would do any extra credit assignment that the teachers would give out and would make sure everyone in the class knew she was doing it._

_So, naturally, she wasn't happy with the fact that the new sixth grade teacher, who wasn't really new anymore, wasn't giving out the extra credit for anything, not even doing double the amount of math sheets. So, naturally, Alice went and talked to her the day that Ralph had an argument with Mrs. Tadlem to argue the point of having extra credit._

_Now, Mrs. Tadlem had considered what Ralph had said about no one wanting to tutor him, which had been more sentences then he usually said aloud and realized that she could guarantee him a tutor if she did offer the extra credit. Of course, she didn't think that, as she was preparing to figure out a way to do it during the summer, when Alice came in._

_Naturally, Mrs. Tadlem was the only person in the school who didn't know Alice's passion for perfection, which was surprising as Alice tried to make sure that everyone knew that there was no imperfection about her. Of course, Alice and Mrs. Tadlem hadn't had a real chance to run into each other, as busy as the new teacher had been to adjusting to a Herdman filled community._

_The second thing was this; Alice was and still is the biggest blabber mouth in the school. One would say that she was the biggest in the town, but in reality that title went to her own mother, who had to gab and gossip about everybody's business whether they wanted to or not._

_If Mrs. Tadlem had known this, she would not have picked Alice. It didn't matter that she told Alice that the privilege of tutoring someone meant one didn't tell others that they were being tutored. Alice would have told anyways, even if it wasn't a Herdman. In fact, if it hadn't been a Herdman, we would have been seeing her holding her breath trying not to tell._

_Naturally, when Mrs. Tadlem said the student would be in the class next year, Alice assumed that it was one of the already classmates. She didn't figure that it would be the oldest Herdman boy, anymore then she figured it would be Imogene, who no one would force to come to tutoring sessions. She thought it was someone who was defiantly in need of her help._

_The other thing was, somehow Mrs. Tadlem got Ralph to actually show up to the first tutoring meeting, which was a shock in itself. However, Alice… well, you know Alice_

**M**

Alice was excited that she had convinced the teacher to allow for her to earn some kind of extra credit that she could use at school. She thus hurried to the library where she was to meet the person that she was going to be tutoring in reading. She got in there and began to pull books off the shelf that she liked.

One shouldn't have been surprised that the books she picked were _Little Woman_ and _Anne of Green Gables_. She didn't take into consideration that the persons reading level might not be that high up. She also didn't take into consideration that the books were more for girls then for guys.

She then went up to the librarian, whom she was supposed to ask to show her whom she was going to tutor. The librarian looked up at her, her face quite pale, though for what reason she didn't know. "Ahh… the person you're supposed to tutor is over at the table between the young adult and children's section."

"Who am I tutoring?" she asked, putting on her beautiful, charming smile.

"Uhh… well, he's the only one there. Most of the kids aren't coming to the library the first day of their summers. And… good luck Ms. Wendelkin…" the librarian said as Alice hurried off.

"I won't need it because I make straight A's," Alice commented. She thought she heard the librarian mumble something about actually needing it. She soon found out why when she saw Ralph Herdman sitting at the table in the library, his boots propped up on the table top. She glanced around, looking for another boy, but her was the only one there. "Please tell me that you're not the one I'm supposed to tutor."

"Not you!" Ralph snapped at her, swinging his feet off the table and making to leave the place.

"Hold on! I'm doing this for extra credit!" Alice said, making him glare at her.

"Figures," he said, sitting back down.

"I'll be right back," Alice said suddenly realizing that her favorite books were defiantly inappropriate for this. She hurried over to the children's section and set her original selection down, this time selecting some really easy books. She hauled them over to the table, to which Ralph glared at her.

Picking up the _Dick and Jane_ book, he pointed at it and muttered at her. "No way in hell!"

"Hell is a bad word!" Alice commented.

"Preacher's say it," he said, still glaring at her.

"Well, that's because… that's because… anyways, you're learning to read," she said.

"I know how to," he snapped.

"Then how come I'm even tutoring you!" she said.

"Because, I stink at it," he said, looking away and placing his chin in his hand.

Alice was still confused about the whole situation. The teacher had said that she would be tutoring someone in her grade level, which meant… suddenly, it clicked with her. "Please tell me the teacher didn't hold you back and that we aren't going to have you and Imogene in the same class next year!"

"So?" was his response, to which she fainted dead away.

**M**

Alice had hurried over to Beth's house as soon as she had come too. She couldn't figure out why people were giving her strange looks as she walked by, but she found out when she got to the Bradley house and Charlie opened the door and started laughing. She glared at him and said, 'What is so funny?"

"Somebody scrawled the word 'loser' across your forehead!" Charlie laughed, tears coming to his eyes.

"I need to talk to Beth!" she grumbled through her teeth.

Charlie then called up the stairs, "Beth, Alice is here."

Beth came down the stairs and started laughing. "Alice… you've been Herdmaned haven't you?"

"I was able to get an extra credit assignment from that teacher, the sixth grade one, and look what he did to my beautiful face!" she cried.

"What do you mean he?" Beth asked.

"Ralph Herdman… I was to tutor him in reading!" Alice commented.

"Please tell me he didn't just and write that on you, "Charlie asked.

"No… I kind of fainted when I found out that…" Alice paused, then continued. "The news I found out is horrible!"

"What do you mean the new is horrible?" Beth asked, staring at Alice.

"We're going to be stuck with two Herdmans in our class next year, not just one," Alice shrieked, terror evident in her voice."

"Alice… nobody would fail a Herdman," Charlie commented. "They wouldn't be that stupid!"

"Mrs. Bradley! Mrs. Bradley!" Alice shouted, seeking out Beth's mother Grace. Beth and Charlie just looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.


	3. Stuck

_With the Herdmans, the bigger it is, the more people get involved. It starts growing from just one or two people, to more and more. This was the same for when Alice came over and told my mom that Ralph Herdman hadn't been passed onto the seventh grade. Of course, when she came over, Charlie and I thought it was a big joke._

_Now, the thing about my mom is, when something comes up, she can't say no when people volunteer her. Nor can she say no when anyone else in the family is volunteered for something. Look at the fact she couldn't back down when she was volunteered that one year for the Christmas Pageant and the Herdmans showed up._

_Alice told my mother this huge sob story about how the Herdmans were never up to any good and there was no point in trying to help them as they were to far gone. She also made comments about who in their right mind would try to attempt to tutor a Herdman in the first place, knowingly, considering that they were crazy. She defiantly couldn't do this for all the extra credit in the world._

_Now, one would think my mom would have thought that the whole tutoring business should be completely put aside… that is, if they knew what everyone else in town did about the Herdmans. Expesully since Alice had loser written on her forehead. I might add that though it read loser, it was spelled wrong. It was in fact spelled l-o-z-e-r, a typical Herdman thing to do._

_However, my mom decided then and there that someone did in fact have to tutor the Herdman kid. Since the teacher had wanted a child in the same grade as Ralph for the following year, that left my mother with one option and one option only, one I can't say that I was particularly pleased with._

**M**

The library was the one place that was always quite, due to the fact that it was Herdman free, at least most of the time. However, that Tuesday a Herdman was sitting at one of the tables, completely bored with himself. If it hadn't been for the fact that he didn't want to get failed again, he wouldn't have been there. Of course, if the person who was supposed to tutor him didn't show up soon, he was going to leave.

Of course, knowing that stuck up little snob, it was very likely that she wouldn't ever show up, as he had to say that her family was the worst Herdman haters ever… what person didn't hate his family. They were defiantly not the ideal that the community wanted as they drank, spat and smoked.

The only thing he could do to wait was stare up at the ceiling. The librarian had specifically told him that if any funny business happened, he would have to leave and possibly not back. Truth be told, one of the reasons that the Herdmans avoided the library was because she had a better eye for what people considered trouble then almost anyone else in the town, even the cops.

"Why exactly is it that you're staring at the ceiling?" a female voice said, causing him to jar and sit up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the boy snapped as he saw that it was Beth Bradley and not Alice.

"I'm here to tutor you," Beth said, no emotion in her voice. It was almost as if she was alright with her fate of having to deal with a Herdman. But then, Beth and her mother were two of the people who always accepted more then the others that the Herdmans existed and were a part of their town and that it was best to deal with it then fight it.

"What happened to that other girl?" the boy asked, glaring at her.

"Who, Alice? One might say she got overwhelmed with the task," Beth said, being careful with how she picked her words. She watched as Ralph glanced away. "Is something the matter?"

"Baby books…" he muttered. "No baby books."

"You mean like what we read in Kindergarten?" Beth asked.

"She picked Dick and Jane," the boy muttered.

"I never liked those books either… they were rather boring," Beth commented. "What is it that you want to read?"

"What?" the boy said, staring at her with a funny look on his face.

"You know, what kind of book… most boys go for adventure, suspense, action, mystery…"

"What does having to learn how to read have to deal with picking a book?" Ralph commented.

Beth blinked a couple of times. "That was defiantly a mouthful… you typically speak a lot less than that."

"So?" the boy said, slumping back in his chair.

"What picking the book has to do with it is, why should I expect you to read a book you aren't interested in," she said. "What have you read?"

"Other then comics… Dick and Jane," the boy commented, not looking at her.

"I'm not familiar with comic books… I know, Tom Sawyer…"

"Who?" Ralph asked.

"We read it last year for class. It was very good. You might like it," Beth said as she disappeared and headed away from him. She soon returned with a book. "This is Tom Sawyer…"

Ralph watched as she opened to the first page. He leaned over and glanced at the pages. " ' _"Tom!" No answer. "Tom!" No answer._ ' Why isn't Tom answering?"

"Why don't you Herdmans ever answer when someone calls you in class?" Beth said, holding her finger under the line. They were only able to get through three pages due to how fast it took Ralph to read each word. That, and the number of questions he had to ask her, mostly made up of pointing to certain parts or the simple uttering of _what_ or _why_.

After they had gotten as far as they had for the day, Beth turned and asked Ralph if he wanted to pick a different book to work with. He shook his head and then just got up and left. Thus Beth went then up to the librarian.

"Beth… I can't believe that teacher is making you tutor one of those miscreants. Nothing good can come of this, I do say,"

"It went fine today," Beth commented handing her the book. "Can you make sure no one checks this out.

"I don't see why not… it will take you the whole school year for that boy to read this book," she said.

"He got through three pages," Beth commented.

"Three's impressive, considering who he is. Hold on, Tom Sawyer? Beth… those kids don't need any more ideas put into their heads!" the woman said.

"Yeah… well, compared to the Herdmans, Tom is a Kitten," Beth commented.

"Was that a pun on Beatrice Potter's Tom Kitten?" she asked.

"Wasn't meant to be," Beth commented. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	4. Gossip

_The other thing that happens when something big happens because of the Herdmans is that it gets around town and everyone gets to gapping about it. Expesully when Alice's mother is involved. When she found out that he daughter was supposed to have been tutoring one of the Herdmans, for once she was in such a shock that she didn't start gossiping about it until the next day._

_Of course, it may have had to do with the fact she was trying to get the black off of Alice's head, and as it was permanent marker, it took a long time to do, so that also explained why it took so long for her to get it off, and that was more important then her gossiping. Alice had a red forehead though for a couple of days where the marker had been used._

_But one things was sure, Alice's mom was out with a vengeance this time, she was cutting down not just the Herdmans, but also the teacher who had decided to hold back one of the Herdmans. She kept telling everyone that all the sixth graders at our elementary school would be in grave danger because of what 'that' woman did._

_Let's just say that the ruckus was so great that they called a meeting of some of the church ladies for the next night to discuss what was to be done about the situation and what was needed to be done about the whole situation. The thing was… every time the church ladies got together, their plans only included what they wanted, not what was truly best for everyone… nor did it take in all the information._

**M**

Mrs. Wendelkin, Armstrong, Slocum, Clark, Clausing McCarthy and other woman gathered at the church to discuss the problem about Ralph being held back. They had gathered a bunch of home made cookies and coffee and had set up chairs so that they could discuss the problems.

"I was horrified when my Alice came home with that marker scrawled all over her forehead. I was counting my blessings that boy didn't write some horrible word on her forehead. I'm also so glad that it came off like it did," Mrs. Wendelkin said, her eyes filled with anguish.

"Those children are horrid little demons," one of the other woman said. "We've never had more then one of them in the classes. Ralph and Imogene are going to set fire to the class room, I know it, and kill all our sixth graders when it they burn down the school."

"The Herdmans have never burned down any important buildings," Mrs. Armstrong commented. "Though… I'm not sure if they won't do it this time."

"What right does that teacher have to break the norm that we have come to know," Mrs. McCarthy commented. "I have a problem with the fact that she just came here last year and she is already trying to change things. We don't need this kind of radical change."

"She must be insane… I mean, taking two Herdmans in her classroom," another woman said.

"I'm surprised that the Herdmans aren't here stealing the refreshments," a woman wearing a red blouse said. "What?"

"Imagine them getting their hands on coffee! That's one thing they haven't shown interest in!" a woman with brown hair in a bun said.

"So… what are we to do about this?" one of the other ladies commented, shaking her head.

"Well… we could go to the school board and force the teacher to make him go to the seventh grade," one of the woman said.

"I want to meet this teacher and give her my thoughts on letting my daughter tutor such a dangerous boy," Mrs. Wendelkin said, frowning at the other woman.

"Well… the only person who has really dealt with all six before is Mrs. Bradley…" one of the woman said softly. "She handled the whole Christmas Pageant quite well…"

"Yes… well… why she isn't here!" Alice's mother said, shaking her head quite rapidly. "This isn't fair!"

"Well… oh, hello Pastor," one of the woman said.

"I thought that I would come in and see how it is going…" the pastor commented.

"Well… I don't like the fact that there will be two Herdman kids in one class next year," one of the woman said.

"Two Herdmans? I guess that the sixth grade teacher failed Ralph, didn't she?" the man said.

"How did you guess that?"

"Well… who else would have the guts to do so?"

"More like gaul…"

"No… I wouldn't call it gaul… guts and bravado… I will keep her in my prayers," the man said.

"Yes… so she doesn't get anymore insane then she already is," the woman said.

"No… because I think she did the right thing and for once, someone else is actually looking out for the well being of those children," the man said.

"I don't see the point… they're hooligans… devils," the one woman who had called them devils before said.

"That isn't a very Christian thing to say… to give up hope that the Herdman children will turn out all right," the man said.

"Just watch…" Alice's mother commented. "He will be a serial killer… a rapist!"

This caused the man to glare at all the woman. "A pity that you've assigned him to such a fate already."


	5. Day Went

_The other thing about the Herdmans is everyone has a different story about them. I am not talking about the things that the Herdmans do, but the reasons why the Herdmans do the things that they do. It varies from person to person what kind of story that one would end up getting._

_Alice's mom thinks that they're deranged psychopaths, but that isn't a surprise as the Herdman kids drive inanest out of every one. I mean, Alice seems to be the major target for a lot of the pranks that they pull… not to mention the most nasty ones. I have to say though, I think that Alice brings a lot of it on themselves._

_The biggest blame though goes to their mother and father. Apparently there father was a hobo and rides, or rode the trains from town to town while there mom is never home and is always working. Thus they didn't have proper adult supervision when they were younger and ended up running amuck of the whole system._

_But others say the reason the parents aren't home is because they were bad from the start and drove their parents away… which means that Ralph… the eldest started it… or perhaps it was a combination of him and Imogene. Many say that Ralph didn't have the smarts to drive them away, but Imogene just might have the cunning to do so._

_That evening at dinner, because of the tutoring incident, the Herdmans became the topic of discussion at the table and some very interesting things were said about them._

**M**

Ms. Bradley had made a nice broccoli casserole for dinner and had Beth and Charlie set the table. They all then sat down at the table and said their prayers so that they could begin their meal. "So, Bethany… how did the tutoring go today?"

"Bethany has tutoring… I thought her grades were good?" Beth's father asked.

"Ha ha!" Beth glanced at her father. "My grades are really good, I make mostly A's. I'm … tutoring someone else."

"Yeah…" Charlie muttered. "Ralph Herdman."

At this, Beth's father's fork dropped and he looked at his daughter in shock. "Ralph Herdman… as in one of _those_ six Herdman kids?"

"What other Herdmans do you know dear?" Beth's mother laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm not sure that it is a good idea," he muttered. "I mean… concidering… never mind…"

"Ralph got held back this year," Beth stated as if it was no big deal.

"Beth! Aren't you scared about having more then one Herdman in your class?" Charlie commented.

"What exactly is to be afraid of the Herdmans? That they'll punch me?" Beth commented. "Believe it or not, they can be reasoned with and they can have their anger deflated."

"Oh, come on… you should know better having Imogene, the ringleader in your class… your also going to have the oldest… who's also the strongest and said to be the meanest!" Charlie commented.

"Imogene can be nice some times," Beth glared at her brother.

"I'm glad you say that Beth… those kids really aren't that bad… just… very curious. I think giving Ralph a chance to catch up is actually a very good thing… maybe this will be a very good thing for those kids," their mother smiled.

"Beth… when has Imogene been nice to _anyone_!" Charlie commented.

"She got that one kid's head unstuck from the bike rack," his sister commented.

"And which Herdman got that kid to stick his head in there?" Charlie asked. "I believe it was one of her brothers…"

"It was Ollie and Gladys…" Beth commented. "Not Ralph, not Imogene… each Herdman is different. And plus… tutoring went well."

"Let me guess… Ralph got through one line of the Dick and Jane books?" Charlie commented. "I mean… everyone knows he's dumb and that's why Imogene is the leader not him and why he's just considered mean, unlike the second oldest boy. Thus he's more dangerous."

"That wasn't nice Charlie," their father scolded. "Ralph wouldn't be in sixth grade already if he was that bad at reading."

"Oh yes he would," Charlie commented. "The teachers are scared of the Herdmans… but this new sixth grade teacher… she isn't… she's crazy."

"Well, Ralph got through three pages of Tom Sawyer today… so don't be so hard on him,"

"I bet you read it all to him," Charlie muttered.

However, their father started laughing. "I wonder what schemes those kids will come up with because of that book…"

"What do you mean…?" Charlie muttered.

"I am not going to say," their father said.

"It is a pity that there is no father around," Ms. Bradley commented.

"He left because they were crazy!" Charlie commented. "May I please be excused?"

"Mom… do you know why Mr. Herdman left?" Beth asked. She saw her mother bite her lip.

"Bethany this isn't to leave the table… Mrs. Herdman got pregnant in high school with Ralph when she was sixteen and had him when she was seventeen. That's about all the details I am sure about, and I have the feeling that Ralph doesn't know that his mother dropped out of school because she was… going to be a mother," her father suddenly spoke up.

"That doesn't exactly explain why their father left them," Beth commented. "Nor why you think this is important to tell me…"

"It wasn't important at this point… I will explain it to you when you think about dating Bethany," her mother glared at her father. "It was actually inappropriate to bring up at all."


	6. Teased

_When one thinks of family in this town, they picture a happy family home, where the kids dress properly and they don't get into mischief. Siblings don't go out of their way to hurt each other and the parents go about there every day life, the father working a job, while the mother works a job along with the household chores._

_Of course, what job did the Herdmans' father hold down? I have never, ever seen the man and I doubt they even remember what he looks like. Their mother definitely doesn't take care of the house, or so the ladies say. Mrs. Wendelkin particularly, that the front yard, which is in constant state of disarray says everything. Oh, and the kids are never dressed properly and they are always into mischief._

_One would honestly think that the Herdman children would actually get along with each other at least, but they always were beating up on each other, getting into fights. Mom always said though, that despite the fact they fought all the time, they still loved each other. This never made any sense to me why someone would purposefully go out of their way to harm their own sibling. But the Herdmans do it all the time._

**M**

At the Herdman household, six of Herdmans were in the room, a complete chaos. However, the number for once included their mother which meant that one of the Herdman children was in fact missing. The woman came home from her shift to get something to eat and to have a chance to sleep the time between now and her next two shifts.

Upon opening the door to her house, she found five of her kids spread across the living room watching the television and playing various games that they likely stole. Actually, she didn't want to know where they got any of the toys or objects that they obtained over the years. She simply went and shoved Ollie and Gladys off the chair.

Glancing around, she mentally tallied up her kids, then snapped rather loudly. "Imogene... where is Ralph?"

"Hmm?" The eldest female glanced up from the trashy romance novel she was reading, then went back to her reading. "Library I think."

"Library... uhh huh. Sure. I think that was the dumbest excuse I've ever seen you ever make for your brother. He's getting into trouble again." Their mother stated.

"If he was getting into trouble, why aren't Claude, Leroy or Ollie with them." The female mumbled.

"Fix something to eat will ya." The female muttered, which caused Imogene to hurry off, pulling out the leftovers. "Isn't there more food then this?"

"You need to go back to the food bank and pick up more stuff." The girl stated, tossing the plate of food onto the table. "This is supposed to be Ralph's share."

"Ralph can go without. It isn't my fault that he isn't here is it." Their mother stated, getting up and grabbing the sandwich.

"Ma... he really is at the library." Imogene protested.

"Most likely causing trouble, isn't he?" Their mother went and pulled out a beer from the fridge and lit up a cigarette. She took a bite out of the food, causing her daughter to glance away. "You know, your brother has been trouble ever since he was born? He's caused me the most trouble out of all of you." Biting down on half of the sandwich, she watched her daughter carefully.

The eleven to twelve year old girl simply glared at the her mother, then walked off towards her other siblings, shoving between Gladys and Ollie who had climbed back into the chair, picking up her novel as she did so. She placed her feet up on a box and began to read, her mind trying to get away from the world that currently surrounded her.

About thirteen minutes later, the door clicked open and Imogene knew Ralph had finally gotten home. She didn't dare look up or try to get between her mother and her brother. Sure, people said that Ms. Herdman was scarred of her own children, but the eldest female child had always felt that was far from the truth. No one bothered to even meet the woman. Else they would know other wise.

"Ralph. Where ya been?" The woman stated. She could have added kiddo in there, but she choose to leave it out. The woman glared at the boy as he stepped in.

"Li... library." The boy muttered, glancing at the ground, his boot scraping at the floor.

"Sure. You of all people were at the library. You're stupid Ralph. What were you doing?" Mrs. Herdman pushed.

"Tutoring..." came the one word response, whispered to a barely audible level.

"What did you say?" The woman let out a laugh. "I couldn't hear you due to the fact that a mouse spoke up."

"Tutoring..." The boy glanced at the ground, wanting to escape from the environment around him.

"Tutoring... you going to tutoring. That is a laugh." The woman shook her head. "Why would you even want to go to tutoring. You don't care about school. We all know that."

"I..." Again, the eldest child paused shortly.

"Ralph doesn't want to get held back again." Imogene stated, not looking up from her romance novel.

"Get held back?" The woman suddenly paused, her finger going into the spout of her beer bottle. "Ralph? You got held back? You're going to be in the same class as your _sister_?"

"Yes..." The young male stated.

"You are the stupidest child I have _ever_ met. You've been passing up until now. Oh, wait... I know, the teachers have been passing you because they don't want to deal with your idiocy, but in order to get into middle school, you actually have to have smarts." Mrs. Herdman snapped out, her eyes narrowing at the young male. "Besides, you can't even read Dick and Jane. What did you read? What did you do? Nothing I bet."

"Tom Sawyer..." Ralph muttered, his head hung low.

"You? You being able to read Tom Sawyer. You've got to be kidding me!" The woman shoo her head at her eldest. "That is way to complex for you to understand. Name me one thing you remember from when you read?"

"Tom ate truck." The boy muttered.

At that, the youngest four Herdman children overheard and suddenly burst out laughing. Leroy let out a sharp laugh. "How can someone eat a truck?"

"It is this big!" Gladys held her arms apart very wide, a huge grin on her face.

Mrs. Herdman glared at the children. "Off to the bed with you. I wish to talk to your brother."

At first the Herdman children stopped and stared at her, the silence profound. Imogene then threatened to hit the younger siblings if they didn't move and they hurried off. "Ralph... you're exasperating, you know that."'

"I didn't mean he ate a truck. He had crumbs on his face, that is what the word means." The boy glanced at the ground.

The woman suddenly blinked a couple of times, half way through the second half of the the half sandwich. She set it down and pushed it over. "Eat. Not much there, but come tell me what else you read in that book."

At that, Ralph sprung on the sandwich, gulping it down. He then began to ramble. "Tom's aunt... she has glasses, but she doesn't wear um because she needs them. Tom got into a fight with another boy 'cause the boy wore fancy clothing. No body at our school ever wears clothes like that 'cept whats her face. She was supposed to tutor me, but she fainted. Don't think her mum..."

"The book Ralph." The woman sighed, bringing him back on topic.

"He played hookey from school and got caught 'cause he resewed his collar on with the wrong thread color." The boy stopped. "That's about it. I couldn't get father then that."

"And you did that on your own?" The woman shook her head. "You read all that on your own."

"No. Someone was helping me with the words I struggled with." Ralph stated, glancing at the ground. "I can't read."

"Really?" Mrs. Herdman shook her head at the boy.

"I'm stupid..." He then glanced at the hallway. "Can I?"

"Yeah, head to bed." The woman gave a weak smile, watching him go. When he was gone, she grumbled to herself. "I really _hate_ you Ralph."


	7. Bully

_If you asked any of the kids at school including my brother Charlie what the definition of the word bully is, they would tell you "the Herdman kids". That's the most obvious answer as they fit the typcial bully stereotype of kids who get what they want by intimidating the other kids and threatening to beat them up._

_According to Webster's Dictionary though, a bully is "a blustering browbeating person; especially: one habitually cruel to others who are weaker". While the Herdman's can be cruel to others who are weaker then them, they actually don't make a habit of it. So can we really call them bullies._

_I've dealt with Imogene at school_ _and she honestly doesn't_ _ try _ _to be cruel to others. I couldn't be sure about the other kids as I don't get to spend much time with them, but I've finally been able to interact with Ralph. The situation honestly feels the same as Imogene. He doesn't_ _ try _ _to be cruel to other people. It just happens._

_However, the kids at school are always talking about the Herdman's and looking down on them when they aren't around. Gossip is rampant among the kids at school just as well as the adults. And you would think that the adults would know better then to say cruel things._

_I guess what I'm saying and thinking here is that the real bullies aren't the Herdman kids like people think. It's the people who look down on them as if they are below them that are cruel. Alice and her mother also seem to be the worst when it comes to the Herman kids, so does that mean they are the worst bullies?_

**M**

When Bethany got to the library, she found that Ralph was already there. She pulled out the chair, causing the legs to make a sound on the ground. She watched as Ralph suddenly jumped, his eyes darting up to look at her wide eyes. He opened his mouth before he looked back down at the unopened book.

"Sorry, am I late?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't know how to read a clock. Imogene does it for me." The boy began to drum his fingers on the desk. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you being nice to me?"

Beth found herself pausing and staring at the boy. She found herself glancing away from the boy as she thought about what he said. She finally turned back to him, a frown on her face. "Aren't I treating you like people normally treat you?"

"No." Ralph didn't say anymore and the got back to working on getting through the book. The younger preteen felt a little uncomfortable around the boy and tried thinking about why that was. The young man's finger pointed to a word. "What's this word?"

Bethany blinked a couple of times and responded. "Is it important to you that people treat you nicely."

The boy tilted his head. "I... kinda."

"Nobodies ever treated you guys nicely?"

"No." The boy frowned. "Except your mom at Christmas time."

"Ahh..." The female tapped her fingers on the table. "Has anyone ever been mean to you?" Her question was only met with silence and she shut her mouth closed. "Who am I kidding? If anybody was mean to you guys, let alone looked at any of you the wrong way you guys make sure they know never to do that again."

Ralph took a deep breath. "It isn't that way."

"Nobody in our grade or lower wants to mess with you guys though." Beth continued to frown herself.

"Never mind." After that the male preteen refused to cooperate anymore in the reading.

"I guess you need a break until tomorrow."

For awhile Ralph stared at the book that was closed yet again before getting up and sticking his hands into his pockets. When he got through the doorway he found himself suddenly looking up at the sun, the frown still plastered on his face. The boy found himself zoning out.

A few minutes later a whistle caused him to become aware of his surroundings again as he stood on the stone steps of the library. His eyes narrowed as he recognized three of the kids who had been in the same grade as him until now. His frown deepened and then he shook his head and decided it was best just to head home.

The boy's though walked so that the would cross paths and one of the boy's reached out and gave him a small shove. "If it isn't Ralph Herdman."

"The dumbest Herdman... heard you got held back."

"I can still make you guys eat my fist." Ralph's nose wrinkled up in frustration.

"Yeah, is that all you can say. None of your siblings are here, so we don't _have_ to be afraid of you." Again, Ralph tried to ignore them. "What, you aren't going to pick a fight with us?" The boy that was antagonizing him let out an irritated sound and suddenly swung.

The eldest Herdman child moved slightly, but the knuckle of the boy's fist grazed his cheekbone. The next thing Ralph knew he was seeing red and his fist went hurtling into the other boy's stomach with a good strong upper cut while the others tried piling on, only for one to receive a really good kick in the ribs while another ended up with a bloody mouth.

For a few seconds it seemed as if they were going to fight him, but they ended up backing off. One of he boy's suddenly shoved the walkman he had on him into Ralph's hands before hurrying off. "Please don't kill me."

The boy let out a sigh, only to hear a rather irritated sound. "Oi! Can't you Herdman's learn not to instigate anything? I mean, stealing off another kid."

The preteen turned to glare at the male and felt the corner of his mouth turn up so that his teeth showed slightly before he spat on the ground. "I know you. "

"And who am I Ralph?" The man continued to glare at the boy.

"You're freaks dad."

"It's 'you're the freaks father', her name is _Alice_ and you should refer to me as Mr. Wendleken. Didn't your mother teach you better." The man then took a deep breath. "Ahh, yes... I need to think about what woman we're talking about. The words for your mother shouldn't be said in public, otherwise I would use them right here."

Another person hurried up to the man. "Ahh... Mr. Wendleken. Were do you want to go from here to discuss the future development of this small town."

"Elsewhere. The last thing I need is gossip getting around. With what has gone on so far means that the town will finally start growing majorly rather then the stifled growth its had over the last twenty to thirty years within the next three to six months if not sooner."

Ralph watched as the two headed away before shaking his head. "I'll ask Imogene."


	8. Developing Plans

_Alice is the picture of perfection, and her mother never lets anyone forget about that. In reality, though, the perfection Mrs. Wendleken bragged about wasn't just the perfection Alice achieved. For starters, the Wendelken family was the richest family in town. Mr. Wendleken was a lawyer as well, in a long line of lawyers. The Wendelken family never did anything wrong, ever. At least, that was the way Mrs. Wendleken presented things._

_However, looking back, I never once saw Mr. Wendleken show up to any of the school events. Alice always said her father was busy doing important things, which was why he never showed up. Every so often we would hear about how he did this for the town, or that, but he never showed up at any of the major events either, except for ones where he was receiving some kind of award._

_That was until the Herdman's became a pattern, ruining all celebrations, and Mr. Wendleken told the mayor to get the kids under control, else he'd have to decline. He had to keep up his reputation for the sake of the town after all. I honestly couldn't blame him, at least when I was little, but now I'm not so sure. Having graduated from the fifth grade, I no longer saw the Herdman kids as a problem, even though the rest of the town not including my mother thought otherwise._

_Change though was certainly on its way with Mr. Wendleken's latest plans._

Alice smoothed out her dress as she came down the stairs. The staircase was rather elaborate, the Wendleken household being one of the biggest, and oldest houses in the town. Paintings of the previous generations were on the wall, adorning the place. Her nose stuck up in the air, thinking of the parties her mother threw, and how most of the girls in her year hoped for an invite just to see the house, but how some like Bethany didn't care, as they found the party boring. It did though seem as Bethany Bradley's best friend Louella McCluskey wanted to come.

Arriving downstairs, she headed to the dining room, arriving at the exact minute her mother expected her to, straightening out her dress again. "Good evening mother."

"Say hello to your father."

Alice curtsied as her father looked up. The man's eyes narrowed. "Alice, why are you wearing that kerchief over your head."

The young girl clapped her hands over her forehead, her lips pushing together in frustration. "Ralph Herdman."

Her father had returned to his papers but looked up. "Him? The child of that whore."

Mrs. Wendleken cleared her voice, while Alice's pretty eyebrows shot up at the new word. "Yes, well, all of the Herdman children are trouble."

"There mother was trouble when we were in school. That said, if development plans go our way, we may in five years have a different high school from the next town over."

"Yes, but the next town over is why the high school the children go to is so prestigious. They bring a lot of money in. We're rather lucky that the towns rich don't send their children to a boarding school." Mrs. Wendleken turned to her daughter. "Not that we don't have the money to send Alice there."

"No. We have the money." Mr. Wendleken went back to his notes. "You don't want her sent away."

"No, I don't."

Alice's mouth pouted. "Maybe if I went to a boarding school, I wouldn't have to deal with the fact there is going to be two Herdman in my class next year."

"You may take your seat, Alice." Her mother spoke up. "Won't we have the funds if there is more than one high school."

"We'll have the funds. We will be attracting rich families in for business purposes. The town is expanding. The new suburb area will at least thirty houses by the start of the school year, and they're going to break ground for the new shopping mall as well as golfing course in the next few days."

"What suburb?" Her mother's voice strained. "And did you hear about more than one Herdman being in the class next year."

"I thought that woman only had one child?"

"She had five. Ralph, Imogene, Claude, Ollie and Gladys."

"You forgot Leroy."

"Well, she is what she is, so that should be no surprise."

"I wonder who the father is. I mean, she did marry that man, but he's never around." Alice's mother sighed. "And dear, what about the suburb."

"It's built two miles outside of town, in hopes that the town will expand out in that direction."

"How come I've not heard of this? I know everything approved by the council."

"It's to be a part of the next council meeting."

"Yes, well, I was hoping you could help us with the school board, in getting this Mrs. Tadlem sacked from the school. I mean, she held back on of the Herdman children, putting our children in danger. Won't you do something about it?"

"I saw him today, Ralph." Alice's father continued to look through the paper. "He got into another fight. The useless child really, no point in passing him onto middle school. I doubt he'll ever graduate from the primary division."

"Did you not hear what I said? That boy scrawled the word loser on your daughter's head, and all you can say is good riddance? Do you even know what the Herdman children do? Don't you remember how the always ruined your award ceremonies?"

"I remember. I want nothing to do with any of them."

"Yet you're fine with the fact the oldest is not graduating to the upper division."

"I don't deal with the school board. That's your job, as the head of the PTA, is it not?" The man let out a sigh. "Plus, I have more concerning issues right now. It was simply an irritation that I had to run into Ralph while I was discussing matters with some of the potential developers."

"I see."

"So, you don't like the Herdmans?" Alice piped up.

"I don't like that woman, nor do I like that boy." The man stood up. "I'll take my leave now."


	9. Advocating

_Alice's mother was determined to make sure things did not change._

_She like everyone was against the idea of the town developing and catching up with the outside world. In truth, I think the reason they feared development had to do with the fact they didn't want the outside world to know the town's secret, that supposedly we had the out of control Herdmans who were likely to end up on America's most wanted list, whatever that was. Strangely enough, that one I'd heard of from Imogene, who seemed quite enthralled with the program._

_Alice said it was a sign of the Herdmans' criminal behavior, as her mother didn't allow her to watch any such programs._

_We tended to watch cartoons in the morning, and that was about it, if we were lucky, as others only used the television for news and educational programming. Even mother loved the public broadcasting, and yet Charlie and I had long outgrown Sesame Street._

_Back to the point, though, Alice's mother didn't like change, and yet at first didn't have a problem with her husband's plans, or at least that is what mother said to father. No, Alice's mother didn't think of it as a change, until she realized she could, at the school board meeting, try to blame the Tadlem/Ralph situation on the new development coming, but also tried to remind people why they didn't want the development._

_It wasn't very good, from what mother said._

~M~

Grace arrived at the town hall, slipping into her seat for the school board meeting. Her eyes drifted over to Mrs. Tadlem, and she leaned over, having chosen to sit next to the woman, reaching out to shake the teacher's hand. "I'm Bethany Bradley's mother or Beth. I talked to you on the phone about Beth tutoring Ralph."

"Ah. You seem to be the one person who's on my side. Well, other than the law."

"The Herdman kids aren't that bad, actually. Sadly, nobody here ever gives them a chance."

"Do you have any idea why?"

Grace Bradley took a deep breath. "Sorry, but unlike others, I don't like to gossip. I will though tell you the details if I feel the need arises."

"I actually appreciate that."

The meeting soon came to the session, and Mrs. Wendleken stood up first, clearing her voice. "So, I wish to make something clear. I have the utmost concern regarding the fact one of the Herdman children being held back. I ask the school board to strike the decision, and move the student up."

A few of the other women cheered the decision, making Mrs. Tadlem push her lips together. She stood up. "Legally, the school board cannot do that."

"Well, the school board can though fire you, and hire someone else who will do what they want."

Mrs. Tadlem glanced down at Grace Bradley. "Sorry, but attempting to circumvent a child's right to a proper education is also a legal matter the school does not want to get into, and truth be told, the very fact the school has been passing the Herdman children based on the fact nobody wants to deal with them is also a legal issue."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Wendleken turned to her. "My husband is a lawyer, so…"

"He would be very aware of the fact it is illegal to deny any child a proper education." The new teacher noted various issues, including the fact the school could not discriminate against a student based on ability, ethnicity, or even economic situation.

"We've tried helping the Herdman family despite their economic situation. They simply don't want to learn." Mrs. Wendleken's head tilted slightly. "I mean…"

"I beg to differ." Grace raised her hand, causing quite a few to glare at her. "My daughter…"

"The fact you allowed your daughter to tutor that heathen, Grace Bradley, after what he did to my own. Scandalous."

"He's actually working his way through Tom Sawyer."

"And giving those Herdman children ideas."

"I must agree with Mrs. Bradley on this one." Reverend Hopkins stood up. "We, as a community, have indeed done a major disfavor to the Herdman children. I'd like to hear what Mrs. Tadlem has planned."

"Letting the Herdman children burn down the school, with the entire sixth-grade year in it."

One of the school board members looked at Mrs. Tadlem. "The very fact this teacher is having the student in question tutored means she does have a plan. We also have to agree with her that the law must be followed."

"In regards to that…" Mrs. Tadlem approached the council, handing over some papers. "I've arranged for some special testing for Ralph Herdman, should the council permit."

"Oh, come on. What will this tell us?"

The board, however, remained silent, looking over the papers carefully. "There is a point to the testing, and Mrs. Tadlem has found a sponsor which pays for children to receive such testing."

"I'd like to know what kind of testing this is."

"The testing she requested is to inquire into whether or not Ralph Herdman has a learning disability."

"Oh, come on! That's just another way of saying he's retarded!" One of the women other than Mrs. Wendleken piped up.

"No, it is not." Mrs. Tadlem stood her ground. "It simply means he learns differently, and if I can get him diagnosed, the state will provide the tools I need."

"This is a load of hogwash."

"The one problem I see is you'll need parental approval, but also a chaperone for Ralph other than just yourself. If you can get that, then the testing can proceed." The school board stated, while a breath of relief washed over the room."

Grace swallowed, knowing how hard this would be. Mrs. Wendleken wasn't finished, though. "This is the fault of the town wanting to develop, and change things. A new suburb, golf course, many other things. We don't need that. She's just the first change, she and these laws put on us by outsiders."

"Mrs. Wendleken, the law is the law. The fact our schools are behind by thirty years is actually a rather sad thing. However, this does as we point out require parental permission and a chaperone, of which I wish you good luck on Mrs. Tadlem."

"I'll help." Reverend Hopkins piped up. "I'm willing to chaperone Ralph Herdman and convince Mrs. Herdman. I think Mr. Herdman is due into town soon, so that will help with the situation."


	10. Broken Friendship

_Louella and I've been friends since before we started primary school, or even knew of the existence of the Herdman children. We dealt with getting in trouble for losing her baby brother Howard, kidnapped by the Herdman kids for their amazing tattooed baby act. We talked about how Alice was always a prick, and kind of stuck up, but did everything together._

_Our mothers also got along well, but they were also next-door neighbors, and never disagreed on anything._

_However, that was until I started tutoring Ralph._

_Mrs. McCluskey found the task problematic, feeling that my mother was unnecessarily putting me in danger, and in turn putting her daughter in danger. This of course led to a major change in my life, as my best friend was no longer allowed to be my best friend._

~M~

Beth's mother came home, letting out a sigh, not realizing that he daughter was still up and listening. Grace Bradley turned to her husband, clicking her tongue as she did so. "That woman!"

"You're speaking of Mrs. Wendleken, if I'm not mistaken?"

"She seems bent against the Herdman children, not liking the fact Ralph was held back for his own good."

"I agree with her. If I were Beth, I'd be scared. She's a very brave girl, you know."

"Brave? Beth simply knows there is more to the Herdman children than people let on." Grace sat down. "Mrs. Tadlem is wanting to get Ralph test."

"And…"

"And they need the permission of Mrs. Herdman."

Beth's father went silent for a good chunk of time, making his eleven-year-old daughter push her lips together in frustration, waiting to hear her father. "Good grief. She'll never relent. She's actually, as you and I both know, the worst culprit in this town in regards to why those children don't succeed. Specifically though, I've seen her around Ralph. She hates the boy, adores the others."

"That's just wrong. And yes, she seems to hate Ralph, but not completely. She can't, won't. I mean, a mother hating their child like that?"

"Is Mr. Herdman coming to town soon?"

Beth startled, remembering the rumor about Mr. Herdman having taken off. Her mother let out a sigh. "I don't know. To be honest, I can't blame some of the town folk for claiming he took off on Mrs. Herdman. His job keeps him on the go. There's no love lost between the two, as it was a marriage of convenience, but he does love those children. Even Ralph, even though Ralph isn't his."

"It's not his fault that nobody in town wants to hire him. The man does a decent thing when nobody else would, and it wasn't even his problem."

The eleven-year-old thought she heard enough, and headed up to bed, not liking what she'd heard. She woke up, and headed out to see if Louella wished to play. Her friend nearly jumped when she approached her. "Sorry Beth. I can't play with you anymore. My mother says so."

"How come?" Beth stood on her tiptoes, trying to look over the hedge at her friend, who hunkered down.

"Because you're tutoring the Herdman kid."

"You mean Ralph? Does she think he'll be a bad influence on me?"

"No. She made that quite clear. She thinks you're in danger, and she doesn't want me in danger as well. Sorry."

"No. Adults are rather silly, aren't they?"

"Silly? I forget the fact you're not afraid of Imogene, but the adults aren't silly to fear the Herdman kids."

"Do you think that's a bit…"

"Sorry, but I've got to go."

Beth folded her arms across her chest, wondering what got into everyone. Her mother kept saying the Herdman kids really weren't bad kids, and in many ways the last year they'd proven as much.

"Beth…"

Hearing her brother's voice, she turned, wondering what was bothering him. "Yes?"

"What do you think dad meant when he said it wasn't Mr. Herdman's problem?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Beth let out a sigh. "I don't see there is any problem at all." She watched her brother pale. "What?"

"Why? Why aren't you afraid of them?"

"Because they're actually nice people."

Charlie frowned, sitting down on the porch to think. Beth sat down as well, watching the sunset. A sudden tug of her sleeve brought her attention back to Charlie. "What now?"

"How can the Herdman kids not be his problem if he's their father?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, the problem is always the Herdman kids, isn't it?"

"Well, I guess."

"Why isn't his problem then? When we mess up, it's both mom and dad's problem. So, what's different? What would make them not someone's problem?"

"Didn't you hear mom and dad. The people in town don't think the Herdman kids are their problem because they're not their kids, so as long as their kids aren't involved…" Beth stopped, her throat tightening. Her fingers pressed into her clothing. "It can't be."

"What?"

"If you can't figure it out, well, don't bother." Beth took a deep breath.

"But you just said the Herdman kid's aren't other people's problems because they aren't…" Unfortunately, her brother got it. "Wait? It's not his problem because it's not his kids?"

"Well…"

"Doesn't that make Ms. Herdman one of those very bad words? That does that very bad word thing?"

"Charlie!" Beth sighed. "We don't know if it's true. I mean, it doesn't make sense that one of the kids wasn't his, right?"

Her brother frowned. "Then only one of the kids would need to be 'not his problem'?"

"Charlie. This isn't something we should be talking about."

"Is there anything different about them? Mom and dad said Ms. Herdman treats Ralph differently. Wait. Does that mean…"

"Charlie, don't you dare go spreading this around town."

"Why? It's true isn't it?"

"We don't know if it is or not. Plus, it's just cruel, letting everyone know something like that."

"But they're always cruel to us. They honestly deserve it."

"Except they're not always cruel Charlie. Why can't you and everyone else see that?"


	11. Board Meeting

_Alice's mother is used to getting her way._

_In fact, the fact Alice's mother always got her way felt like some kind of unwritten rule known to every student at our elementary school. None of my fellow fifth-graders could recollect a time when Mrs. Wendleken didn't get her way. Actually, this was a lie as she constantly didn't get her way when the Herdman kids were involved, yet nobody liked talking about these incidents. Alice also liked pointing out the rule with how perfect her dresses were, or how well her mother organized the bake sale._

_Again, until the Herdman kids got involved._

_Whenever the Herdman kids got involved, Alice would always end up on the wrong side of things like when Ralph wrote on her pen with permanent ink. Every single bake sale she put together ended up in shambles because said Herdman kids got involved. As Alice always put it – the Herdman kids destroyed everything but made everyone else miserable._

_I wonder if the reason Alice typically gets her way is because her mother always gets her way. From what I've heard mother say, Mrs. Wendlken is the center of gossip in town, so this may have something to do with the matter, yet I honestly don't know what gossip has to do with anything. Then again, I don't understand why people do what either one says given the fact they can be very unpleasant people to be around, but perhaps – just perhaps – the reason comes down to doing what they want means people don't have to interact with them very long._

_Why does that seem like what everyone does for the Herdman kids?_

**_~M~_ **

Alice's mother sat upfront with her hands set nicely into her lap. Her mouth twisted into a perfect smile, yet everything about her read she was the perfect housewife. Her daughter sat there next to her, appearing like the perfect child any parent wanted. In fact, Alice tried acting like a perfect miniature of her own mother. Both were determined to voice their distaste for the actions of a certain teacher at the given board meeting.

Mrs. Tadlem sat in a different part of the room, also waiting for the meeting to start. She ignored the glares from the mothers who came into the room as they joined Alice's mother, yet she could hear the sound of the women gossiping even if she couldn't hear what they were saying. Eventually, the members of the board came into the room. The person heading up the meeting took a deep breath. "Let's see what's on the agenda tonight."

"I want to discuss a certain teacher." Alice's mother stood before she spoke, yet she expected the board members to take a break from the originally planned agenda just to accommodate her. The man glanced up, pushing up his glasses with one finger.

"We were hoping to discuss how the schools will need to expand…"

"No. This is far more important."

"Mrs. … sorry, but I didn't catch your name."

"Mrs. Wendleken."

"Wait…"

"We need to discuss the fact a teacher held back one of the students."

"So, you're saying the child was unfairly held back, Mrs. Wendleken?"

"Of course it's unfair! Our children are now stuck with not one Herdman child, but two Herdman children in the same class. That is a danger and a safety hazard."

All of the board members looked at Alice's mother as if she'd grown a second head. Her companions, on the other hand, looked at her as if she were a saint. Another one of the board members took a deep breath. "I don't think this is a matter for…"

"How is it not? Everyone in town knows what awful children the Herdman children are! My Alice, she is constantly on the wrong end of their antics and it stresses her out, preventing her from doing her best at school. In fact, when she asked for extra credit she was assigned to tutor Ralph Herdman. The boy wrote the word loser on her forehead."

"That sounds like a problem. Is the teacher here to defend themselves?"

"To…" The smile on Mrs. Wendleken's face fell.

"Yes. I am."

"And you are?"

"Mrs. Tadlem."

"Is it true that you assigned a student to tutor another for extra credit."

"I did assign one of the incoming fifth-graders to tutor a student I choose to hold back because he wasn't ready to progress to the next grade."

What she said caused an uproar among the parents. Quite a few brought up the fact their children weren't safe with two Herdman children in the classroom; they also clearly asked the board to override the decision to hold Ralph back for this very reason. Finally, one of the board members said, "enough! Let Mrs. Tadlem speak!"

"The board is aware of the laws put into place regarding the rights of the individual student, but I ask that you not let the prejudices these people hold towards the Herdman family prevent any of the Herdman children from getting a fair shot at education like their children have been allowed."

"A fair shot? How is my daughter Alice having them interrupting her school day fair at all?"

"I see your daughter is here Mrs. Wendleken."

"Alice can tell you exactly what they do."

"They steal babies and draw on their heads."

"Did this happen on school property?"

"Well, no." Alice's eyes blinked. "They're always pulling nasty pranks and getting into fights with each other. The youngest bites."

"Yes. But the youngest biting has nothing to do with the one held back unless of course there are only two of these children. You say they get into fights with each other, yet do they get in fights with other children?"

"Well…"

"The children are too afraid to get into fights with them, but there have been a few black eyes." Alice's mother spoke up.

Mrs. Tadlum frowned, letting her lips push together tightly. "I've only been at the school a year, but I'm not seeing anywhere near the degree of trouble others have claimed regarding these children. Much of it is exaggerated…"

"Exaggerated!" Alice's mother choked out her words, pointing accusingly at Mrs. Tadlum. "There is nothing exaggerated by any of this!"

"Then please explain why none of these children have been suspended from school?"

"Because the teachers are too afraid of them!" Alice piped up.

"Well, obviously Mrs. Tadlum isn't, but…"

"You're going to listen to her!"

"Sit down!"

Mrs. Wendleken plopped down into her chair, her face turning slightly red around the cheeks and ears. She'd lost her temper just a few moments ago.

The person who ordered her to sit down turned back to Mrs. Tadlum. "You've never suspended the child in your class."

"I'm not saying there aren't behavior issues, but I've not noticed anything the other boys in his class weren't getting called out for, nor did I…" She could hear some of the parents muttering the only reason the other boys did such things was because of Ralph. "… ever suspend any of the boys for this. It would have been overstepping."

"Yet, you held this child back? Why?"

"He can't read. _That_ is what he's being tutored in, but I'd like to have him tested, which if the school district doesn't have him tested, they are liable."

"What is she even talking about?"

"She's talking about the laws passed by the congress of the United States which guarantee the same opportunities for all children, including those with a disability."

"None of the Herdman children are disabled unless you count being mentally insane."

"Mrs. Wendleken, you are obviously biased, so I would like you to leave."

One of the other board members held up a hand. "While I agree with you that she should leave, I do think there needs to be a clarification made here that disabilities include learning disabilities."

"Learning disability? I've never…"

"I suggest actually looking it up, but also questioning why your daughter felt the need to seek out extra credit before the next school year even started."

"It's so she can always get the best grades."

"It seems that your daughter has been given a special advantage over the other students."

"She does the work, so why…"

"Extra credit is there for children who need their grades boosted, not the children who are already making the grade."

"Come on Alice." Mrs. Wendleken grabbed her daughter's hand, dragging him out with her. The other women followed, but not before they overhead the board approve the testing for Ralph.


End file.
